Accept my sincere thanks, my dear Sir, for Your address, which I have read with great interest. It has given me a clearer idea of the delicate and arduous duties of the Chief Magistrate of a large City than I before possessed, and has gratified the partiality in your favor which led me to anticipate a wise and honourable discharge of those duties under your administration.

I should have written you a long time ago, if I had completed the duties of my last circuit, so as to give you all the results. But I am as yet scarcely free from all the cases, which have been under advisement.

I have Just recd a letter from Messrs A. C. Cazenove & Co. informing me of the arrival of our long looked for wine, ordered as long ago as March 1828— Murdoch & Co. write me that this parcel of "finest, old, high coloured, London particular" is selected from the choicest in their possession, and I have reason to believe that our most sanguine anticipations of its quality will be fully gratified.

Yesterday was the first day that I was at liberty to read your letter of the 19th July with the attention it deserved, and to look into a few Cases. I regret that is not in my power to devote more time¹ in examining the authorities before returning you an answer; but this is prevented by the necessity I am under of leaving home in a day or two for the Springs, whence I shall proceed on my circuit.

After introducing to you my amiable young friend Maurice Herbert, who goes up with a view to take all the Wine you may leave, I have to request that you will write me as much at large as your time will admit, how the Court is going on? what Cases decided? what likely to be decided? And when you think with Certainty of adjourning? Above all, take care of your own health— neither the Judiciary, nor your Country can spare you. farewell—Affectly yrs

Before I proceed to business, I must account for my long but involuntary silence. During the second day of the April term of this Court, I was, whilst on the Bench, attacked by a violent pleuresy which terminated the Session, as it had nearly done the life of your friend. I anticipated that event myself, as did most of my friends.

Altho I have been at home upwards of six weeks, yet this is the first day when it has been in my power to write to you. My whole time, when it was not engaged by company, has been devoted to a chancery suit in which I am, involved as Executor of Genl W., the entire management of which devolves necessarily upon me.

Your letter of the 11th July found me upon a bed of sickness, from which I was not very soon relieved. I had scarcely become convalescent, before others of my family were taken down— finally, I determined to abandon the Country, which was becoming universally sickly, and to take refuge with Mrs W. in this place, which has, thus far, been unusually healthy. I trouble you with this account of my past troubles, as it furnishes the only legitimate apology for my long Silence since the rect of your favor.

I owe you an apology for not having returned an earlier answer to your letter of the 20th June. The truth is, that at the time I recd it, and another from brother Thompson, I was engaged in a piece of business which required dispatch, & which induced me to postpone my answers to a period when it would be more in my power to reflect upon the decisions which you & he had made & to examine cases. But before that period had arrived our domestic misfortunes commenced.

Your letter would have been sooner answered if I had not known that you had Courts to attend which would detain you for some time from home.